Martin Kluhn,
Furnace engineering manager, Owens Illinois,
O-I Holzminden
During the checker-pack replacement of our furnace in Holzminden the end port furnace was temporary converted into an oxy fuel furnace. The oxy firing was implemented with the use of a liquid oxygen installation which was completely supplied by Air Products. The take over from normal combustion, the 3 weeks oxy firing and switching back to normal firing went flawless. During the whole project the furnace could run at normal pull.
Read what our customers say about us
Jerzy Baran,
Production Director, Pilkington Glass
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Furnace downtime is massively expensive, so a reliable gas supply is very important to us. During the floods Air Products did everything they possibly could to help keep our business running.
Lee Keun Haeng,
Project Manager, Techpack Solutions
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It was clear from day one that Air Products was deploying a team of genuine combustion engineering experts who knew the glass industry intimately. They were fully committed and focused on our project, and were constantly on hand to respond to unforseen challenges and problems that arose.
Our relationship with Air Products dated back to 2004 when we were first introduced to their oxy-fuel technology. The Air Products team made a strong impression with us in terms of their technical savvy and professional approach their team understood what we needed.
We were delighted. The success of the full scale conversion was immediately evident, and exceeded our expectations. We had only targeted a reduction of 50% to begin, so to hit 90% from the start was incredible.
Air Products' proactive attitude and fast response in addressing the problems helped us to resolve problems quickly and ensured the conversion was successful.
Pavel Šedlbauer,
Senior Director, Primary Operations
AGC Glass Europe SA/NV
In the PRISM® → plant, we not only have a product that is tailored specifically for the glass industry, but also provides AGC with the reliability and confidence needed to run a float line on oxygen, 24 hours a day, for the life of our furnace. These are real benefits to AGC and will help us deliver our goals to produce the highest quality glass in an increasingly competitive market.
Gill Hu,
General Manager and Chief Engineer, CS Fibreglass
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If I were to name something that I like most about Air Products, it is their people. We really worked together as one team. Air Products approached to explain the process and benefits of oxy-fuel technology, and it was clear to us they were a leader in the technology. With their deep knowledge and proven experience, Air Products convinced us that we could trust them to help us engineer the conversion on time and meet our targets.
We were impressed by their comprehensive integrated solutions approach comprising equipment, training and technical expertise to solve our immediate and long-term challenges.
We realised the quality of Air Products' Cleanfire® burners and equipment was far superior to other alternatives we had looked at previously. We have seen major improvements compared to the old air-fuel burners in meeting emission targets as well as in improving efficiency and control.
Apart from technology and products, it was clear we were on the same wavelength with the Air Products technical team from the start. They listened closely and designed a complete solution for us. Of course, we encountered some issues and teething problems during the early stage of the conversion process, but they were always able to respond quickly to these challenges.
Libor Fafala,
Managing Director & Co-Owner, Glassworks AJETO spol. s r.o
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When Air Products introduced their oxygen combustion solution, we expressed our reservations because to us it was something new and unconventional. However, Air Products' technologists were sure about their calculations and offered us the option of a trial in order to demonstrate the new system. We obtained such positive results during the trial that we decided to install the full oxy-fuel system in our facility almost immediately.
Thanks to oxy-fuel combustion, we are achieving better quality molten glass, greater furnace stability and increasingly consistent colours", continues Libor Fafala. He adds, "We have achieved greater than 40% energy savings as we no longer need to preheat the air and have also removed the recuperator completely which we were replacing every three years. With this improved efficiency, we are decreasing our gas consumption. Our furnace is also quieter than it was in the past and its temperature can be controlled easily. Finally, an automatic control system has eliminated manual intervention and potential human error."
The made-to-measure oxy-fuel solutions courtesy of Air Products create the optimal conditions for the manufacture of unique products and thus help us to become a more competitive player in our target market.
Updating our operation with Air Products' combustion system has resulted in significant operational savings and process benefits. This exceptionally flexible system of melting enables us to manufacture top quality products and thus keep pace with our competitors.
Marek Hebert,
Manufacturing Technologist- blown glass
PRECIOSA® Lighting, Kamenickż enov
In 2009 we started discussions with Air Products about switching to an oxy fuel system for our glass melting process, hoping to reduce gas consumption, melting time and noise from the furnace without impacting the quality of the molten glass. In 2010 an agreement was reached and a full oxy fuel system was installed on four ladle furnaces . Air Products supplied the complete system, from the oxygen storage tanks to the oxy fuel burner technology and controls. All the benefits stated by Air Products where met; gas consumption decreased by 40%, the melting time was reduce by between 1-2hrs and the furnace noise is now at a comfortable level. As a result of this, in 2011, four more ladle furnaces, designed specifically for oxy fuel were built. The cooperation continues to this day, where thanks to further developments in burner technology from Air Products, we are discussing the possibility of installing oxy fuel systems on 2 further ladle furnaces, which was previously impossible.
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